PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! Eating to Be Fit!

My New Favorite Foods ~

YOU do not have to EAT like a Bird to lose weight..you just need to pick the right foods....

Ok, so I did this crazy thing and went on a Clean Eating Schedule of 5 foods for 5 day....Spinach, Eggs, Plain Yogurt, Raw Almonds/ Raw Almond Butter and Raspberries with 8-10 cups of Water. You are allowed to have Herbal Tea, 1 cup of coffee/day and seasonings and 1/4 cup of 100% citrus juices/day also.

My inspiration is the book: CINCH by Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

Crazy as it seems, I loved it and felt 100% better at the end of the 5 days then when I started!

Here are some attributes of the 5 foods you eat:

Spinach ~ Did you know, ONE CUP of SPINACH Leaves = 5 CALORIES!

20 cups of Spinach has the same calories as a 1/2 cup of Brown Rice!
Research also shows us that the antioxidants and other natural substances in spinach can help ward off the metabolic processes that lead to obesity and heart disease.

Hate being sick - eat more spinach!

Spinach is RICH in Vitamin A and Vitamin A strengthens the Immune System and helps strengthen the skin cells that line the inside of our nasal passages and digestive track, which helps to keep viruses and bacteria out of the body.

~ One cup of Spinach has almost 400 percent of your daily vitamin A requirement
YOU CHANCE OF GETTING SICK JUST LOWERED!
(Money saving TIP: do not wash spinach before storing, the moisture will spoil it!)

ALMONDS ~ there is a trend with these 5 foods...studies show that eating nuts regularly reduces the risk of weight gain and obesity.

Almonds are one of the best sources of Vitamin E
Vitamin E is one of the body's key antioxidants
Almonds are a great handy source of Protein...One you can grab and go!

I portion out 1/3 cup of whole, raw almonds and keep them in my purse or in my car. It is a great afternoon snack with a cold glass of Water!

ALSO, a new love is Almond Butter...substitute it for peanut butter.
~ When buying, read the ingredients.

The lst jar my Husband bought (we will blame it on him) had almonds, unrefined cane sugar, palm oil and salt.

THE ONLY ingredient should be ALMONDS. That jar was $7.99.

Then I found a jar for $12.99 with just Almonds and

Look at how much I ate already - Eat GOOD FOOD!
KETTLE makes one with just Almonds & Salt...sodium is only 55mg/2tbsp....so I found that one OK. The KETTLE brand is so good, I can eat it by the spoonsfuls. (cost: $5.99 and worth it!)

Shop at WHOLE FOODS or Trader Joe's for better selection and !more competitive pricing!

(peanut butter has Roasted peanuts, Sugar (2nd ingredient..yikes), Hydrogenated vegetable oils(cottonseed, soybean and rapeseed), salt) Yikes and I will say YIKES Again!! Hydrogentated anything is very bad!! Avoid it, remove it, do not eat it!

RASPBERRIES ~ Researchers have found that there is a natural substance in raspberries, called ketones, which are known to prevent an increase in overall body fat and visceral fat, the deep internal belly fat considered to be the most damaging type of body fat.

High in Fiber (one study showed that for every gram of fiber we eat, we eliminate 7 calories...EAT AWAY!)
One cup of Raspberries = 30% of the fiber you need daily and 50% of your daily vitamin C needs.
Raspberries rank as one of the TOP TEN anti-inflammatory fruits, and inflammation is one of the unknown causes of DEMENTIA. Raspberries may also slow down aging in the brain!

Vitamin C can protect your body's cells from premature aging and disease, and it can regenerate other antioxidants, such as Vitamin E.

DID YOU KNOW: Fresh and Frozen are equal in nutritional value! During the winter months I buy Raspberries frozen...but make sure the only ingredient is Raspberries!

Eggs ~ They are a proven weight-loss food. The protein in eggs ranks highest, among all foods, in protein absorption and the ability for the body to incorporate in the bodies tissues.

Do Eggs raise your cholesterol? Newer Studies have indicated NO

Eating 1 to 2 whole eggs/day does not measurably change your blood-cholesterol levels

(please remember that there are disease states that require eliminating eggs or using Egg White or Egg substitutions...so the above recommendation is to the average, healthy human being)

Yogurt ~ This is a weight-loss weapon and can be a healthy snack for you and your family

BEST choice - buy Plain Yogurt and sweeten it yourself and add fruit

More info to follow....

Water ~ I found this very interesting:
When our water intake is inconsistent, our bodies hang onto fluid we do drink giving us that bloated feeling and look! When our body is consistently hydrated, it does not hold onto the fluid and it sheds that fluid that is putting on the extra pounds and make your clothes fit tighter.

I drank 8-10 glasses of water/day and after 3 days, my arms were thinner and my boots zipped right up, usually I had to pull and stretch just to zip over my calves and I am a size eight.